The Pacific Crest Trail: One Year Later

It has officially been a year since I gave into the masochistic demands of a the voice inside my head and started walking north from the US-Mexico border in search of my spirit animal.

So now the question is: were those four and a half months spent dragging myself through 2,600 miles of wilderness simply an exercise in stubbornness, or did it have some profound effect on my life?

Does my comprehensive understanding of backcountry toilet use and unique insight into the life of the homeless drive me to now champion a socialist inspired, tree-hugging, lifestyle of peace and love focused on self-improvement and world peace?

I don’t even know what the means so, unfortunately, I cannot say.

What I can say is that me today and that me one year ago can accurately be described as two (very?) different people, and that the Pacific Crest Trail can be credited as the catalyst for said changes.

The Beginning.

The Middle.

The End.

I went from having never overnight backpacked in my life to my life becoming overnight backpacking for nearly five months. Needless to say, I emerged from the experience a seasoned veteran (aka I lost all self-respect/decency/consciousness and embraced the hiker trash lifestyle).

But how has the PCT impacted my daily life back in the confines of society? Do I walk faster? Eat more? So how has the PCT impacted my daily life? The following are things that distinguish me now from me prior to the trail:

People ask me how hiking the Pacific Crest Trail was and I always tell them, “it was the best thing ever, but it was also the worst thing ever.” Neither statement is a lie.

I am incredibly jealous of everyone embarking upon the trail this year (although I do not envy their lack of water, increase in hiker numbers, or Southern California fires), and despite my repeated thoughts of “this is going to be the last hike I ever do” whilst on the PCT, I am eager to devote yet another extended period of time to yet another meaningless walk through the wilds.

I don’t know when I will be able to get back out onto the trail (2015?), but I know that another thru-hike will have to be added to (and stricken from) the bucket list.

ABOUT

Halfway Anywhere started out in 2011 as a way for me to share my travels with friends and family. Since then it has grown tremendously into a not only a collection of my own stories and travels, but as a resource for anyone looking to step into the world of adventure.

My mission is to provide and share information gathered from firsthand experience to make travel more accessible to everyone looking to escape those prohibitive zones of comfort.